Systems and Methods for Obtaining a Digital Wallpaper

ABSTRACT

Systems and methods are provided for controlling functions associated with a back housing ( 104 ) that is attached to an electronic device ( 100 ). According to one aspect, the electronic device detects ( 902 ) attachment of the back housing, retrieves ( 904 ) information from the back housing, examines ( 906 ) the retrieved information to identify an aesthetic element of the back housing, and displays ( 910 ) a graphical representation of the aesthetic element as a digital wallpaper of the electronic device. In some embodiments, attachment of the back housing to the electronic device triggers performance ( 914 ) of a function associated with a functional element of the back housing.

FIELD

This application generally relates to digital wallpapers on electronicdevices. In particular, the application relates to platforms andtechniques for obtaining a digital wallpaper for an electronic devicebased on a housing component of the device.

BACKGROUND

Many current electronic devices (such as, for example, personalcomputers, mobile communications device, personal digital assistants(PDAs), tablets, e-readers, portable media players, portable gamingdevices, etc.) display a digital wallpaper as the background image ofthe graphical user interface of the device. For example, a digitalwallpaper can appear as the background against which icons and menuoptions are displayed on the “home” screen of a mobile communicationsdevice. The wallpaper image can be a photographic image, a montage ofphotographs and other images, a patterned background, a single-coloredbackground, or any other type of image.

The digital wallpaper can be customized by the user, or can beautomatically selected by the operating system of the electronic device.Often times, a user will select a digital wallpaper with a specificpurpose in mind: to reflect a mood of the user; to advocate a certainviewpoint; to provide motivation towards a goal; to display pictures ofloved ones, favored works of art, preferred scenery, or other meaningfulimages; to advertise an affinity for, or affiliation with, a certaingroup or region (e.g., a sports team, a business or business-relatedgroup, a social group, a hometown, etc.); or for any number of otherreasons.

The digital wallpaper is a popular choice for user-configuration becauseit is one of a few customizable features on an electronic device thatcan be repeatedly appreciated by the user, or others around her, whileusing the device. Another example of such a feature is the customizableringer on, for example, a mobile communications device. On someelectronic devices, a back housing component of the device may also becustomized by the user. For example, a graphical image chosen by theuser may be imprinted onto the back housing. Many users place a lot oftime and effort into, and/or draw great significance from, the design oftheir back housings, much like the digital wallpaper. However, due toits placement on the electronic device, the user is unable to view theback housing design while actually using the device. As a result, atleast some of the excitement and appeal typically associated with havinga customized back housing may be diminished by the very function of thishousing component.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying figures, where like reference numerals refer toidentical or functionally similar elements throughout the separateviews, together with the detailed description below, are incorporated inand form part of the specification, and serve to further illustrateembodiments of concepts that include the claimed embodiments, andexplain various principles and ad vantages of those embodiments.

FIG. 1 illustrates an example electronic device in accordance with someembodiments.

FIG. 2A illustrates an example back view of an electronic device inaccordance with some embodiments.

FIG. 2B illustrates an example front view of the electronic device shownin FIG. 2A.

FIG. 3A illustrates an example back view of an electronic device inaccordance with some embodiments.

FIG. 3B illustrates an example front view of the electronic device shownin FIG. 3A.

FIG. 4A illustrates an example back view of an electronic device inaccordance with some embodiments.

FIG. 4B illustrates an example front view of the electronic device shownin FIG. 4A.

FIG. 5A illustrates an example back view of an electronic device inaccordance with some embodiments.

FIG. 5B illustrates an example front view of the electronic device shownin FIG. 5A.

FIG. 6A illustrates a perspective view of an example electronic devicehaving a back housing component in accordance with some embodiments.

FIG. 6B illustrates an example back view of the back housing componentshown in FIG. 6A.

FIG. 6C illustrates an example bottom view of the back housing componentshown in FIG. 6B.

FIG. 6D illustrates an example side view of the back housing componentshown in FIG. 6B.

FIG. 6E illustrates an example front view of the electronic device shownin FIG. 6A.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram of an example electronic device in accordancewith some embodiments.

FIG. 8 is a diagram of an example network-based system in accordancewith some embodiments.

FIG. 9 is a flow diagram depicting control of example functionsassociated with a back housing of an electronic device in accordancewith some embodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Systems and methods are disclosed for obtaining a digital wallpaper ofan electronic device based on a housing component of the electronicdevice. For example, the electronic device may have a rear or backhousing component that can be detached from, and reattached to, a mainbody of the electronic device. The back housing component may becustomized to include thereon an aesthetic element, such as, e.g., agraphic design, logo, shape, etc. The systems and methods disclosedherein provide techniques for detecting whether the back housing isattached to the electronic device; and if it is, retrieving informationabout the back housing, including the aesthetic element, from one ormore sources; and displaying a digital wallpaper on the electronicdevice that is derived from, based on, or otherwise related to theaesthetic element of the back housing. For example, the aestheticelement may be a photograph that is imprinted onto the back housing, andthe digital wallpaper may be a mirror image of the photograph. Inanother example, the back housing may include a three-dimensionalaesthetic element, such that one or more portions of the aestheticelement protrudes from a surface of the back housing, and the digitalwallpaper may be a two-dimensional graphical representation of theaesthetic element (e.g., a photograph of the actual aesthetic element, acomputer-generated drawing of the aesthetic element, or othertwo-dimensional representation).

According to some embodiments, in addition to the aesthetic element, theback housing may also have a functional aspect. As with the aestheticelement, information about the functional aspect of the back housing maybe retrieved by the electronic device from one or more sources. Inaddition, upon detecting attachment of the back housing to theelectronic device, the electronic device may be triggered to perform afunction defined by the retrieved information and related to thefunctional aspect. For example, attachment of a back housing that has anembedded heartrate monitor may cause the electronic device toautomatically launch a health monitoring software application thatreceives heart rate readings from the heartrate monitor. As anotherexample, attachment of a back housing that includes an audio speakercavity may cause an audio player of the electronic device to beconfigured according to predefined settings that are ideal for portingto the audio cavity, predefined settings being included in theinformation received in connection with the back housing.

Thus, the systems and methods described herein provide a back housingthat has increased aesthetic appeal, as well as added functionality inthe form of causing display of a digital wallpaper that is related tothe back housing design and/or causing the electronic device to performa function related to the back housing. Displaying a digital wallpaperthat is based on the back housing also enables the user to appreciatethe customized back design while looking at the front of the electronicdevice.

FIG. 1 depicts an example electronic device 100 consistent with someembodiments. It should be appreciated that the electronic device 100, asdepicted, is merely an example and can include various combinations ofhardware and/or software components. According to some embodiments, theelectronic device 100 may be a mobile computing device, such as, forexample, a smartphone or any other type of mobile communications device,a tablet, an e-reader, a portable gaming device, a portable mediaplayer, a personal digital assistant, a laptop computer, a desktopcomputer, or any other electronic device that can have auser-configurable back housing component.

In FIG. 1, the electronic device 100 is depicted as a mobile computingdevice having a a main body or housing 102 that houses a majority of theelectronic components included in the mobile computing device 100 and aback housing 104 that may be detachably coupled to a back side of themain housing 102 (also referred to herein as front housing 102). Thedevice used to attach the back housing 104 to the front housing 102 canbe any of a number of known attachment mechanisms, including but notlimited to, a mechanical device (e.g., snap-on), magnets, hook and loop,a friction-based device, adhesive, etc. The illustrated mobile computingdevice 100 further includes a display screen 106 on a front face of thedevice 100. The mobile computing device 100 may also include othercomponents, such as, for example, one or more speakers (e.g., speaker216 in FIG. 2B), one or more cameras (e.g., back camera 224 in FIG. 2A),and/or an additional display (e.g., back display 305 in FIG. 3A). Asshown, the back housing 104 and the display screen 106 are positioned onopposite sides of the mobile computing device 100. As a result, the usercannot properly view both the aesthetic component 108 and the displayscreen 106 at the same time.

According to some embodiments, the back housing 104 can include auser-customized aesthetic element, such as, for example, aestheticcomponent 208 in FIG. 2A. The aesthetic element can be designed toinclude any shape, structure, design, and/or pattern. According to someembodiments, the aesthetic element can be two-dimensional (e.g.,aesthetic component 208 in FIG. 2A) and/or three-dimensional (e.g.,aesthetic component 408 in FIG. 4A). As an example, the aestheticelement may be derived from, or created based on, one or more of aphotograph, a logo or design, a pattern, a computer graphic, a string oftext, generated artwork (e.g., a hand drawing or sketch, a painting, acomputer-generated illustration, etc.), a three-dimensional object(e.g., a mask, a sculpture, a figurine, a model, etc.), or any otherimage or object. In addition, the aesthetic element may be designed toinclude one or more colors, the selection of colors depending on avariety of factors, such as, for example, the color(s) of the image orobject on which the aesthetic element is based, the colors available forthe technique used to manufacture the back housing 104, the color(s) ofthe front housing 102, and/or the color(s) selected by the user. As willbe appreciated, in some instances, the aesthetic element may includeonly a portion of the underlying image or object. For example, if theaesthetic element is based on a three-dimensional object, the aestheticelement may be designed to include only a front half of the object, aside profile of the object, or any other section of the object.

The aesthetic element can be attached to, included on, or otherwiseapplied to an outer surface of the back housing 104 in any of a numberof ways. According to some embodiments, the aesthetic component 108 maybe integrated or incorporated into the back housing 104, so that theaesthetic component 108 and the back housing 104 form one unit. Forexample, FIG. 2A illustrates an example mobile computing device 200 thathas a two-dimensional aesthetic component 208 printed onto a majorityportion of the outer surface of a back housing 204. As another example,FIG. 4A illustrates an example mobile computing device 400 that has athree-dimensional aesthetic component 408 that is molded into a backhousing 404. Any of a number of manufacturing techniques may be used tocreate a back housing that has an integrated aesthetic component,including, for example, imprinting, etching, engraving, moulding, and/orthree-dimensional (3D) printing.

According to other embodiments, the back housing 104 may be manufacturedindependently of the aesthetic component 108, and the aestheticcomponent 108 may be affixed to the back housing 104 afterwards, forexample, as an “add-on” accessory or embellishment. For example, FIG. 5Aillustrates an example mobile computing device 500 including a backhousing 504 with an aesthetic component 508 that has an adhesive backingfor attaching the aesthetic component 508 to an outer surface of theback housing 504. According to the illustrated embodiment, the aestheticcomponent 508 may be a sticker that is printed with the image of aballet dancer. Any of a number of other attachment mechanisms and/ordevices may be used to affix the aesthetic component 508 to the backhousing 504, including hook and snap, magnets, and/or a slot, pouch, orother holder for securing the aesthetic element to the back housing 504.According to some aspects, the aesthetic component 508 may be removable,such that the aesthetic component 508 can be replaced with a newaesthetic aspect without replacing the entire back housing 504.

According to some embodiments, a user may create the customized backhousing 104 and/or the aesthetic component 108 using a 3D printer (e.g.,at a 3D printing station or booth). For example, the 3D printer may bein communication with a computer, over a wireless or wired connection,and the user may upload the image(s) that the user wishes to include inthe aesthetic element (e.g., a personal photograph, a selectedlogo/design, generated artwork, etc.) to the computer. The user mayselect whether to print a back housing with an integrated aestheticelement, or whether to print an aesthetic component that can be added toan existing back housing. In another example, the user may place anorder for a customized back housing and/or aesthetic component with athird-party vendor. For example, the third-party vendor may be an onlinecompany that offers a web-based customization software for designing theback housing and/or aesthetic component over the Internet. Thethird-party vendor may utilize 3D printing technology to generate thecustomized back housing, and/or may use other manufacturing techniques.

According to some embodiments, the back housing 104 may include adisplay device that is configured to display a dynamic or adjustableaesthetic component 108. That is, the image displayed on the backhousing display can be changed or updated without replacing the backhousing itself. For example, FIG. 3A illustrates an example mobilecomputing device 300 that includes a back display 305 configured todisplay an aesthetic component 308. The back display 305 may utilize anumber of known display technologies, including, but not limited toorganic light-emitting diode (OLED) and electrophoretic ink (“e-ink”),to display a selected image as the aesthetic component 308. According tosome embodiments, the back display 305 may be configured to display aseries of images as the aesthetic component 308, such that the aestheticcomponent 308 appears, for example, to be a moving picture, to haveflashing or blinking lights, and/or to have continuously updated images.In embodiments that use e-ink technology to display the aestheticcomponent 308, the back display 305 may be very thin, like a sheet ofcardstock or other paper.

If the aesthetic element is based on an object that is not in a digitalformat, the underlying object may need to be converted into anappropriate computer-readable format that, for example, is readable bythe manufacturing machine being used to make the aesthetic componentand/or back housing. For example, to create an aesthetic component basedon a painting, the painting may need to be photographed or scanned by adigital photo scanner to create a digital image file that can be read bythe manufacturing machine (e.g., JPEG, GIF, TIFF, PNG, etc.). As anotherexample, to create an aesthetic component based on a sculpture, thesculpture may need to be scanned by a three-dimensional scanner todigitally acquire a 3D model. In some embodiments, a 3D computergraphics software application, such as CAD (computer aided design),animation modeling software, and other known 3D modelers, may be used tocreate the 3D model. As will be appreciated, the 3D model may be createdin different input file formats (e.g., STL, PLY, VRML, or WRL) dependingon its source and/or the manufacturing machine for which it is intended.

As discussed above, the aesthetic element of a back housing may be usedto generate a customized digital wallpaper. According to someembodiments, the image that is displayed as the digital wallpaper may bea graphical representation of the aesthetic element of the back housing.For example, FIG. 2A. shows a back side of the mobile computing device200, which includes the back housing 204 with aesthetic component 208,and FIG. 2B shows a front side of the mobile computing device 200, whichincludes a display 206 configured to display a digital wallpaper 210that is derived from the aesthetic component 208.

According to one embodiment, the same image or model file that is usedto create the aesthetic component 208 can be displayed as the digitalwallpaper 210. According to other embodiments, a separate image file maybe created based on the aesthetic component 208 for the purpose of beingused as the digital wallpaper 210. For example, a photograph of theaesthetic component 208 may be taken and displayed as the digitalwallpaper 210. In embodiments where the aesthetic element was createdfrom a 3D model file, the same model file may be converted into a 2Dimage file format that is acceptable for use as a digital wallpaper(e.g., JPEG, GIF, TIFF, PNG, PDF, etc.). In some embodiments, the imagefile for the digital wallpaper 210 can be created on a remote computerand then transferred to the mobile computing device 200. For example, aspart of the process of ordering a customized back housing 204, the usermay also create an image that is to be displayed as the digitalwallpaper 210. According to some embodiments, the digital wallpaper 210may be a “live” or dynamic wallpaper, such that the displayed imagechanges periodically, for example, in relation to a dynamicallydisplayed aesthetic element, as described above with respect to FIGS. 3Aand 3B.

According to some embodiments, the appearance and/or settings of thedigital wallpaper 210 may be customized, edited, or otherwise modifiedaccording to one or more predetermined graphic settings. In someinstances, one or more of the graphic settings may be preset by themanufacturer of the mobile computing device 200, the manufacturer of theback housing 204, and/or a software program running on the mobilecomputing device 200. For example, the predetermined graphic settingsmay be automatically configured based on a type of mobile computingdevice 200, a property of the display screen 206 of the device 200, andother factors related to the mobile computing device 200. Additionally,or alternatively, the predetermined graphic settings may beuser-configured to achieve a desired visual effect for the digitalwallpaper 210. The predefined graphic settings may relate to any of anumber of image attributes, including, but not limited to, shrinking,stretching, cropping, tiling, and/or other re-sizing of the image,adjusting color tonality, brightness, sharpness, and/or other imageproperties, correcting blemishes, red-eye, and/or other image errors,etc. Further, the digital wallpaper image may be modified using imageediting tools that are stored on the mobile computing device 200, on anetwork computer that is accessible via a network connection (e.g.,using the Internet), and/or on any other computer that is incommunication with the mobile computing device 200.

To illustrate an example of a customized digital wallpaper, FIGS. 2A and2B depict the digital wallpaper 210 as a mirror image of the aestheticcomponent 208. As used herein, the term “mirror image” includes areflection of an original image about an imaginary center line, suchthat, for example, a left side of the original image appears on a rightside of the mirror image and a right side of the original image appearson a left side of the mirror image (e.g., as one wing of a butterfly isa reflection of the other wing). For example, in FIG. 2A, a right sideof the aesthetic component 208 appears on a left side of the digitalwallpaper 210, and a left side of the aesthetic component 208 appears ona right side of the digital wallpaper 210. Displaying the mirror imageof the aesthetic component 208 as the digital wallpaper 210, rather thanthe original aesthetic component 208, creates, for example, the illusionof being able to see the back housing 204 through the mobile computingdevice 200, as if the internal components of the device 200 do notexist. Thus, the user can have the impression of being able to view thecustomized back housing 208 while viewing the display 206 on the frontof the electronic device 200.

As another example, FIG. 3B shows a digital wallpaper 310 displayed on afront display 306 of the mobile computing device 300, the digitalwallpaper 310 being an inverted image of the aesthetic component 308displayed on the back display 305 of the back housing 304. As usedherein, the term “inverted image’ includes an image in which the colortonalities of the original image are reversed, such that, for example,the positive elements of the original image are drawn as negativeelements and the negative elements of the original image are drawn aspositive elements (e.g., as the back of some types of oriental rugs arean inversion of the front of the rug). For example, in FIGS. 3A and 3B,the dark, or black-colored, portions of the aesthetic component 308appear light, or white-colored, in the digital wallpaper 310, and thelight portions of the aesthetic component 308 appear dark in the digitalwallpaper 310. Displaying an inverted image of the aesthetic component308 as the digital wallpaper 310 creates, for example, an oriental-rugeffect, or an illusion of being able to see through the electronicdevice 300 to a backside of the back housing 308 as if the internalcomponents of the electronic device 300 do not exist. In the illustratedembodiment, the digital wallpaper 310 is also presented as a mirrorimage of the aesthetic component 308, which further enhances theillusion of being able to view the backside of the back housing 308while simultaneously operating the electronic device 300 from a frontside.

As yet another example, FIG. 4A shows the back side of the mobilecomputing device 400, which includes the back housing 404 with theaesthetic component 408. As illustrated, the aesthetic component 408includes a pattern of three-dimensional (3D) diamond-shaped protrusionsthat extend from the back housing 404. FIG. 4B shows a front side of themobile computing device 400, which includes a display 406 configured todisplay a digital wallpaper 410 that is based on the aesthetic component408. In the illustrated embodiment, the 3D protrusions of the aestheticcomponent 408 are presented as two-dimensional (2D) diamond shapes inthe digital wallpaper 410. In other embodiments, for example, where thedisplay 406 is capable of displaying a 3D image (e.g., a 3D displaydevice), the digital wallpaper 410 may be displayed with a 3D effect,such that the diamond shapes appear to be sinking into the display 406.According to some embodiments, if the mobile computing device 400includes a 3D display, a 3D digital wallpaper 410 may be displayed,regardless of whether the aesthetic component 408 itself isthree-dimensional. According to one embodiment, the user may choosewhether or not to display the digital wallpaper 410 with the 3D effect.

Referring now to FIGS. 5A and 5B, according to some embodiments, theback housing 504 can include a functional aspect, in addition to theaesthetic element. The functional aspect may be a structural,electronic, or other physical component that is incorporated or embeddedinto the back housing 504. According to some embodiments, the functionalaspect may be related to the aesthetic element. For example in FIGS. 5Aand 5B, the mobile computing device 500 includes a functional component511, such as a heart rate monitor, and the aesthetic component 508,which is a picture of a ballet dancer that is designed to motivate theuser towards a certain fitness or health-related goal. The functionalcomponent 511 may assist, at least partially, in the fulfillment of theuser's goal by, for example, monitoring the user's heart rate, while theuser is engaged in a physical activity. To further motivate the user,the aesthetic component 508 can also be displayed as a digital wallpaper510 on a display 506 of the mobile computing device, so that the usermay be reminded of her goal while operating the mobile computing device500.

In the illustrated embodiment, the functional component 511 is afingertip heart rate monitor that includes an infrared transceiver thatis configured to detect a change in the volume of blood that is pumpingin an artery of a fingertip placed on the transceiver. The heart ratemonitor 511 may further include a controller that is configured todetermine the user's heart rate based on the changing blood volume. Inanother embodiment, the functional component 511 may be a heart ratemonitor that includes two electrodes configured to measure electricalimpulses in the user's heart when the user place a finger on eachelectrode. The measured impulses may be used to record anelectro-cardiogram (ECG, EKG) and/or a heart rate reading. In either ofthe above embodiments, the reading(s) captured by the functionalcomponent 511 may be wirelessly communicated to the mobile computingdevice 500 using any of a number of wireless communication technologies,including, for example, Wi-Fi, radio-frequency identification (RFID),near field communication (NFC), or Bluetooth. According to oneembodiment, the readings may be communicated to a remote computer (e.g.,at a medical facility) over, for example, a wireless network connectionfor analysis by a physician or other medical professional.

According to some embodiments, the functional aspect of the back housingmay be associated with performance of a function. In some instances,this function may be related to a software application that controls orreceives inputs from the functional aspect, or otherwise runs inconjunction with the functional aspect. For example, attachment of theback housing 504 to the mobile computing device 500 can triggerexecution of a computer program or software application that isconfigured to receive readings from the functional component 511.According to some embodiments, the software application may run in theforeground, such that the user can directly interact with theapplication, or in the background, such that the user need not interactwith the application. Additionally, or alternatively, the functionperformed upon attachment of the back housing 504 can relate toconfiguring one or more settings of a component or software applicationincluded in the device 500 according to a preset profile that isassociated with the functional component 511. In some instances, thepreset profile may be pre-configured by the user, for example, as partof the process of designing the back housing 504. In some embodiments,the user may choose to manually manage the settings of the softwareapplication and/or device on the mobile computing device 500, eitherprior to or after attachment of the back housing 504. As anotherexample, the user can choose to manually turn off the softwareapplication that may be automatically launched upon attachment of theback housing 504.

In the example embodiment of FIGS. 5A and 5B, the mobile computingdevice 500 includes a health monitoring software application thatreceives readings (e.g., ECG/EKG and/or heart rate readings) from thefunctional component 511. According to some embodiments, the healthmonitoring software application can be configured to analyze thereceived heart rate readings in relation to preset health- orfitness-related goals. The preset health/fitness goals may bepreconfigured by the user based on one or more criteria (e.g., age,weight, gender, target heart rate, activity level, type of exercise,etc.) and may be part of a preset profile that is automaticallyimplemented in the heath monitoring software upon attachment of the backhousing 504 to the mobile computing device 500. Based on the readingsreceived from the functional component 511, the health monitoringsoftware application may provide feedback to the user, such as, forexample, whether or not a preset goal is being met and/or whether acurrent level of activity is appropriate for a preset goal. According toone embodiment, the user can choose whether to receive feedback from thehealth monitoring software application, or whether to send the heartrate readings directly to a medical facility for analysis.

As another example of a functional back housing, FIG. 6A shows a backside of an example mobile computing device 600 having an audio-relatedback housing 604 that includes an aesthetic component 608 and afunctional component 611. In the illustrated embodiment, the aestheticcomponent 608 is a depiction of an equalizer, such as a graphicequalizer. The equalizer depiction (also referred to herein as equalizergraphic 608) includes multiple bars, each bar representing a selectedsignal gain for a specific frequency band (e.g., 60 Hz, 230 Hz, 910 Hz,etc.). According to one embodiment, the equalizer graphic 608 depictsgeneric gain selections that are included for aesthetic purposes only.According to other embodiments, the equalizer graphic 608 depictspredefined gain selections that are specifically associated with and/ortailored to the functional component 611.

As also illustrated in FIG. 6A, the functional component 611 can includean audio speaker cavity (e.g., a speaker baffle or port) that isembedded into a back side of the back housing 604. The mobile computingdevice 600 may include an audio speaker (not shown) on the back side ofthe device 600 that ports to the audio speaker cavity (also referred toherein as the back housing cavity 611). For example, U.S. Pat. No.8,180,075, which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety,discloses an electronic device housing that includes a bass reflexcavity, for example, in the battery door of the device, to enhance thelow end frequency performance of the audio speaker of the device. FIGS.6B, 6C, and 6D show additional views of the back housing 604. Forexample, FIG. 6B shows a back view of the back housing 604, FIG. 6Cshows a bottom view of the back housing 604, and FIG. 6D shows a sideview of the back housing 604.

FIG. 6E shows a front side of the mobile computing device 600, whichincludes a display 606 that is configured to display a digital wallpaper610. As illustrated, the digital wallpaper 610 can include anaudio-related image, such as the boombox image shown in FIG. 6E, that isrelated to, or derived from, the aesthetic component 608 of theaudio-related back housing 604. According to some embodiments, the imagedisplayed on the digital wallpaper 610 can include a graphicalrepresentation of an equalizer having frequency gain settings thatcorrespond to the frequency gain data depicted in the aestheticcomponent 608 of the back housing 604.

According to some embodiments, the mobile computing device 600 mayfurther include media player software, such as, for example, an audioplayer (e.g., capable of playing MP3, M4A, WAV, WMA, AIFF, FLAC, AAC,and other audio file formats), a podcast player, a digital radio player,an audiobook player, a multi-media player (e.g., capable of playingaudio, video, radio, podcasts, etc.), and/or a video player (e.g.,capable of playing MPEG, SWF, WMA, MP4, MOV, and other video fileformats). Attachment of the back housing 604 to the mobile computingdevice 600 may cause automatic launch of the media player and/orautomatic configuration of volume and/or equalizer settings within themedia player according to a preset profile that is associated with theback housing 604. According to one embodiment, the preset profile mayinclude the predefined gain selections that are depicted in theequalizer graphic 608.

According to some embodiments, the back housing can include aninformation component that is configured to store data related to theback housing, including any aesthetic element and/or functional aspectincluded therein, and to communicate the stored data to the attachedelectronic device. For example, FIG. 7 illustrates an example mobilecomputing device 700 that has an attached back housing 704 with anincluded information device 712 configured to store data related to theback housing 704. The mobile computing device 700 further includes acommunication module 720 that can be configured to retrieve data fromthe information device 712. For example, the communication module 720may include one or more short-range transceivers configured to establishcommunication between the information device 712 and the mobilecomputing device 700 using any of a number of short-range wirelesscommunication techniques (e.g., Bluetooth, radio frequencyidentification (RFID), near field communication (NFC), infrared, etc.).Based on the data received from the information device 712, a processor730 of the mobile computing device 700 can identify information about anaesthetic element (not shown) of the back housing 704 and/or afunctional component 711 of the back housing 704.

As illustrated, the information device 712 can include a memory device714 (e.g., random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), erasableprogrammable read-only memory (EPROM, EEPROM, or Flash memory), or anyother data storage device) and/or an identification (ID) tag 718 (e.g.,an unpowered data chip including ROM, EPROM, EEPROM, or Flash memory).The memory 714 and/or the ID tag 716 can be configured to storeaesthetic and/or functional information related to the back housing 704.The aesthetic information can determine the digital wallpaper that isdisplayed upon attachment of the back housing 704 to the mobilecomputing device 700. For example, the aesthetic information may includeone or more image files (e.g., a graphical representation of theaesthetic element, a copy of the image file that was used to create theaesthetic element, an image preselected for the digital wallpaper duringcreation of the back housing, etc.), data that can be used to generateone or more images for display as the digital wallpaper (e.g., thepredefined gain selections shown in FIG. 6A, color(s), dimension(s),and/or other image attributes, settings for creating a dynamicwallpaper, etc.), and/or other data related to the aesthetic element(e.g., metadata, file format type, etc.). Likewise, the functionalinformation can determine the functions that are performed uponattachment of the back housing 704. For example, the functionalinformation may include instructions or commands to execute one or moresoftware application(s), implement one or more preset profile(s), and/orperform other function(s) upon attachment of the back housing 704. Thefunctional information may also include other data related to thefunctional component 711 (e.g., metadata, identification of thefunctional component 711, etc.).

In other embodiments, all or a portion of the aesthetic and/orfunctional information can be contained in a database (e.g., arelational database or any other type of database architecture) that isnot stored on the information device 712 itself. In such embodiments,the ID tag 718 of the information device 712 may store identifyinginformation for accessing and retrieving the aesthetic and/or functionalinformation from the remote database. For example, the identifyinginformation may include a pointer, an identifier, a uniform resourcelocator (URL), or any other text for identifying a specific location inthe back housing database 807 (see FIG. 8) that stores informationrelated to the back housing 804. In this manner, the ID tag 718 may beused to indirectly retrieve aesthetic and/or functional information fromthe back housing 704.

According to some embodiments, the remote database may be stored in amemory 740 of the mobile computing device 700 and may be accessed usingthe processor 730. In other embodiments, the remote database may bestored in a remote location that can be accessed using a data network(e.g., network 819 of FIG. 8). In such embodiments, the communicationmodule 720 may include one or more long-range transceivers that areconfigured to establish communication between the mobile computingdevice 700 and the data network using any of a number of communicationtechnologies, (e.g., Ethernet, wireless networks (including Wi-Fi),satellite networks, cellular networks, etc.).

In FIG. 8, an example mobile computing device 800 includes a backhousing 804 that has an ID tag 818 configured to store identifyinginformation (e.g., an identifier) for accessing a back housing database807. The back housing database 807 can include aesthetic and/orfunctional information about the back housing 804 and can be stored in amemory 809 of a remote computing device 817. The mobile computing device800 can be in wireless, or wired, communication with the remotecomputing device 817 over a network 819. The network 819 can include anytype of data network, including but not limited to Ethernet, varioustypes of wireless networks, satellite networks, and cellular networks.Upon attachment of the back housing 804, the mobile computing device 800can retrieve the identifier from the ID tag 818 and send the identifierto the remote computing device 817 along with a request for theinformation that corresponds to the identifier. Using the identifier,the remote computing device 817 can retrieve the corresponding aestheticand/or functional information from the back housing database 807 andsend the information to the mobile computing device 800. The mobilecomputing device 800 can download and examine the received informationto identify the aesthetic and/or functional elements of the back housing807 and carry out one or more operations in accordance with the receivedinformation, as described herein.

Referring again to FIG. 7, the mobile computing device 700 can furtherinclude an attachment sensor 722 that is configured to detect attachmentof, or very close proximity to, the back housing 704 to the mobilecomputing device 700 and send a corresponding trigger signal to theprocessor 730. The attachment sensor 722 can include electronicdetection mechanisms (e.g., a light detecting sensor, a transducer, aninfrared receiver or transceiver, or other proximity sensors) ormechanical detection mechanisms (e.g., a latch, a button, a switch, orother mechanical triggers). In some embodiments, the attachment sensor722 can be configured for very short range detection (e.g., millimeterrange) to help ensure that the back housing 704 is detected no earlierthan just before attachment to the mobile computing device 700.According to one embodiment, the attachment sensor 722 can be a Halleffect sensor that detects magnetic attachment of the back housing 704to the mobile computing device 700. Further, the attachment sensor 722can be in electronic communication with the processor 730 and can beconfigured to send an attachment signal to the processor 730 upondetection of the back housing 704. Similarly, the attachment sensor 722can detect detachment of the back housing 704 and send a correspondingdetachment signal to the processor 730. The processor 730 may carry outcertain tasks or functions depending on whether an attachment signal ora detachment signal is received from the attachment mechanism 722, asdescribed herein. For example, according to some embodiments, uponreceiving an attachment signal, the processor 730 may cause the displayscreen 706 to display a digital wallpaper that is related to theaesthetic element of the back housing 704. As another example, accordingto some embodiments, upon receiving a detachment signal, the processor730 may cause the display screen 706 to stop displaying the digitalwallpaper that is associated with the back housing 704.

As illustrated in FIG. 7, the back housing 704 can include a backdisplay 705 that is configured to display an aesthetic element (such as,e.g., the aesthetic component 308 of FIG. 3). According to someembodiments, the aesthetic element displayed on the back display 705 canbe dynamic (e.g., “live” or periodically changing). In such embodiments,the aesthetic information received in connection with the back housing704 can include a plurality of images that corresponds to the imagesthat are dynamically displayed on the back display 705. The aestheticinformation may further include the order in which the plurality ofimages will be displayed on the back display 705 and the duration ofeach display. Accordingly, the processor 730 can use the aestheticinformation to generate a digital wallpaper that displays each of theplurality of images as the corresponding image is being displayed on theback display 705. In short, a dynamic aesthetic component can trigger adynamic digital wallpaper, according to some aspects.

According to other embodiments, the aesthetic element displayed on theback display 705 can be adjustable (e.g., replaced with a new image).For example, after a while, the user may become bored with a currentback housing design. Rather than replacing the entire back housingcomponent 704, such embodiments enable the user to change only the imagethat is displayed on the back display 705. According to some aspects, toadjust the displayed aesthetic element, the user may access a softwareapplication that is configured to facilitate communication with the backdisplay 705 and/or the information device 712 of the back housing 604.The software application may be stored on the mobile computing device700 and accessed directly via the device 700. Alternatively, thesoftware application may be stored on a cloud server (e.g., remotecomputing device 819) and accessed indirectly via a mobile application(e.g., “app”) stored on the mobile computing device 700. In either case,upon receiving user selection of a new aesthetic element for the backdisplay 705, the software application may send corresponding aestheticinformation to the back housing 704 and/or the mobile computing device700. According to some embodiments, the aesthetic information mayinclude an image file to be stored in the information device 712 (e.g.,in the memory 714) and displayed as the newly-selected aesthetic elementon the back display 705. According to other embodiments, the aestheticinformation may include identifying information (e.g., an identifier)for storage in the ID tag 718. As described herein, the identifyinginformation may be used, for example, to retrieve an image of thenewly-selected aesthetic element from a remote database (e.g., backhousing database 807).

Further, the aesthetic information received from the softwareapplication may be used to update the digital wallpaper in response tothe newly-selected aesthetic element. For example, the processor 730 canuse the aesthetic information provided by the software application togenerate a new digital wallpaper in accordance with the new aestheticelement. As such, when the aesthetic element changes, the digitalwallpaper may also change to reflect the new image. Similarly, theabove-described software application may also be utilized to update thedigital wallpaper in embodiments where the aesthetic element is affixedto the back housing 704 as a removable sticker or other embellishment(e.g., aesthetic component 508 of FIG. 5). As an example, when a newaesthetic component 508 is attached to the back housing 504, the usermay access the software application to retrieve aesthetic informationcorresponding to the newly-attached aesthetic component 508. Theretrieved information may be downloaded to the back housing 504 and/orthe mobile computing device 500 and used to update the digital wallpaper510 displayed on the display 506.

In FIG. 7, shown is the example mobile computing device 700 in whichsome embodiments may be implemented. As described above, the mobilecomputing device 700 can include the communication module 720, thecamera 724 (e.g., camera 224 in FIG. 2), the processor 730, and thememory 740 (e.g., hard drives, flash memory, MicroSD cards, and others).Memory 740 can have a distributed architecture where various componentsare situated remote from one another, but are still accessed byprocessor 730. These other components may reside on devices locatedelsewhere on a network or in a cloud arrangement.

Further, the mobile computing device 700 can include a power module 742(e.g., flexible batteries, wired or wireless charging circuits, etc.), aperipheral interface 725, and one or more external ports 735 (e.g.,Universal Serial Bus (USB), HDMI, Firewire, and/or others). Thecommunication module 720 can be configured to interface with the one ormore external ports 735. For example, the communication module 720 caninclude one or more transceivers functioning in accordance with IEEEstandards, 3GPP standards, or other standards, and configured to receiveand transmit data via the one or more external ports 735. Moreparticularly, the communication module 720 can include one or more WWANtransceivers configured to communicate with a wide area networkincluding one or more cell sites or base stations to communicativelyconnect the mobile computing device 700 to additional devices orcomponents. Further, the communication module 720 can include one ormore WLAN and/or WPAN transceivers configured to connect the mobilecomputing device 700 to local area networks and/or personal areanetworks, such as a Bluetooth® network. Still further, the communicationmodule 720 can include one or more point-to-point transceiversconfigured to connect the mobile computing device 700 to the informationdevice 712, using short-range wireless technologies, such as, e.g.,near-field-communication (NFC) and/or radio frequency identification(RFID).

The mobile computing device 700 can further include a display screen 706(such as display screen 106), touch-sensitive components 745, andadditional I/O components 750 (e.g., capacitors, keys, buttons, lights,LEDs, cursor control devices, haptic devices, and others). The displayscreen 706, touch-sensitive components 745, and the additional I/Ocomponents 750 may be considered to form portions of a user interface(e.g., portions of the mobile computing device 700 associated withpresenting information to the user and/or receiving inputs from theuser). In some embodiments, the display screen 706 is a touchscreendisplay using singular or combinations of display technologies such aselectrophoretic displays, electronic paper, polyLED displays, OLEDdisplays, AMOLED displays, liquid crystal displays, electrowettingdisplays, rotating ball displays, segmented displays, direct drivedisplays, passive-matrix displays, active-matrix displays, and/orothers.

The mobile computing device 700 can further include one or more sensors755 such as, for example, accelerometers, gyroscopic sensors (e.g.,three angular-axis sensors), additional proximity sensors, tilt sensors,cameras, and/or other sensors; and an audio module 760 includinghardware components such as a speaker 716 (e.g., speaker 216 in FIG. 2)for outputting audio and a microphone 765 for receiving audio. In someembodiments, the speaker 716 and the microphone 765 can be piezoelectriccomponents. The mobile computing device 700 further includes aninput/output (I/O) controller 770.

In general, a computer program product in accordance with an embodimentincludes a computer usable storage medium (e.g., standard random accessmemory (RAM), an optical disc, a universal serial bus (USB) drive, orthe like) having computer-readable program code embodied therein,wherein the computer-readable program code is adapted to be executed bythe processor 730 (e.g., working in connection with an operating system)to implement a method for obtaining a digital wallpaper as describedbelow. In this regard, the program code may be implemented in anydesired language, and may be implemented as machine code, assembly code,byte code, interpretable source code or the like (e.g., via C, C++,Java, Actionscript, Objective-C, Javascript, CSS, XML, and/or others).

FIG. 9 is a flowchart of a method 900 for controlling functionsassociated with a back housing that can be detachably coupled to anelectronic device (such as the mobile computing device 100 and the backhousing 104 shown in FIG. 1). The back housing can include aninformation component (such as the information device 712 shown in FIG.7) and an aesthetic element (such as the aesthetic component 208 shownin FIG. 2A). According to some embodiments, the back housing can alsoinclude a functional aspect (such as the functional component 611 shownin FIG. 6A). More particularly, the method 900 relates to triggering thedisplay of a digital wallpaper that corresponds to the aesthetic elementof the back housing and/or triggering the performance of a function thatrelates to the functional aspect of the back housing, upon attachment ofthe back housing to the electronic device. The electronic device caninclude a memory (such as the memory 740 as shown in FIG. 7) and aprocessor (such as the processor 730 as shown in FIG. 7) that isconfigured to carry out the method steps described herein. According tosome embodiments, the method steps may be implemented in software thatis stored in the memory of the electronic device. The electronic devicecan further include a display screen (such as the display screen 306shown in FIG. 3B) and an attachment sensor (such as the attachmentsensor 722 as shown in FIG. 7) for detecting proximity and/or attachmentof the back housing to the electronic device.

The method 900 can begin at step 902 with receipt of a first signalgenerated by the attachment sensor upon determining that the backhousing is secured to a back side of the electronic device. Until thefirst signal is received, the method 900 may remain at step 902 and mayperiodically check for receipt of the first signal. At step 904,information (e.g., aesthetic, functional, and/or identifyinginformation) may be retrieved from the back housing. According to someembodiments, the information retrieved from the back housing includesaesthetic and/or functional information, for example, where theaesthetic and/or functional information is stored in a memory of theback housing (e.g., the memory 714 of the back housing 704 as shown inFIG. 7). In other embodiments, the information retrieved from the backhousing may include identifying information (e.g., an identifier), whichcan be used to locate aesthetic and/or functional information that isstored in a remote database (e.g., the back housing database 807 asshown in FIG. 8).

Step 906 includes examining the information retrieved from the backhousing to identify an aesthetic element of the back housing. Inembodiments where the aesthetic information is stored in the backhousing, step 906 can include examining the retrieved aestheticinformation to identify an image or graphical representation that isassociated with the aesthetic element of the back housing (such as theaesthetic component 208 shown in FIG. 2A). According to embodimentswhere the aesthetic and/or functional information is stored remotely,step 906 can include examining the identifying information to determinea location of the aesthetic information in the remote database, andbased on the aesthetic information that is downloaded from the remotedatabase, identifying an image or graphical representation that isassociated with the aesthetic element.

According to some embodiments, the aesthetic information retrieved,directly or indirectly, from the back housing can include an image fileto be displayed as the digital wallpaper. The image file can be a copy,photograph, derivation, or other graphical representation of theaesthetic element of the back housing. In one example embodiment, theimage file may be a two-dimensional representation of athree-dimensional aesthetic element (such as the aesthetic component 408shown in FIG. 4A). In another example embodiment, the image file may bea photograph of the back of the aesthetic element. In yet anotherexample embodiment, the image file may be a copy of the image file thatwas provided to the manufacturer to create the back housing. Accordingto some embodiments, the image file extracted from the aestheticinformation may be in a computer-readable format that can be displayedon the display screen as a digital wallpaper of the electronic device(e.g., JPEG, TIFF, BMP, PNG, etc.). According to other embodiments, theimage file extracted from the aesthetic information may need to beconverted to a displayable file format. For example, where the imagefile is a 3D model of the aesthetic element and the electronic devicedoes not include the software required to display 3D model files, theimage file may be converted to an appropriate two-dimensional fileformat.

Referring now to step 908, in some embodiments, the image file obtainedfrom the aesthetic information may be modified, edited, or otherwiseadjusted according to one or more predefined graphic settings prior tobeing displayed as the digital wallpaper. These predefined graphicsettings can relate to color, size, brightness, sharpness, shape,pattern, and/or any other image attribute. For example, according to oneembodiment, the predefined graphic settings can include creating amirror image and/or or an inverted image of an image file thatrepresents the aesthetic element.

Upon receiving the aesthetic information at step 906, the processor maydetermine whether one or more predefined graphic settings applies. Thepredefined graphic settings can be included in the aesthetic informationthat is retrieved, directly or indirectly, from the back housing. Forexample, upon receiving the information, the processor can examine theaesthetic information to identify any predefined graphic settingsincluded therein. According to other embodiments, the predefined graphicsettings can be stored in a memory of the electronic device, and theprocessor can be configured to retrieve the predefined graphic settingsfrom the memory upon receiving the aesthetic information. If anypredefined graphic settings are found, at step 908 a graphicalrepresentation of the aesthetic element can be generated according tothe one or more predefined graphic settings, and at step 910, thegenerated graphical representation can be displayed as the digitalwallpaper. If no applicable predefined graphic settings are found, or inembodiments that do not include predefined graphic settings, the method900 can continue from step 906 directly to step 910, where the processordisplays as the digital wallpaper the image that was included in theinformation retrieved from the back housing.

The method 900 can further include step 912, which includes determiningwhether a functional element can be identified from the informationretrieved, directly or indirectly, from the back housing. For example,the processor can examine the retrieved information to determine whetherthe information includes functional information, and if it does,identify a functional element of the back housing (e.g., the functionalcomponent 611 of the back housing 604 as shown in FIG. 6) based thereon.If a functional element is identified (e.g., “yes”) at step 912, at step914 a function associated with the functional element may be performedby the processor. The function can include launching a softwareapplication (e.g., the health monitoring software that receives readingsfrom the functional component 511 shown in FIG. 5), implementing apreset profile (e.g., the preset profile for configuring the audioplayer in accordance with the functional component 611 shown in FIG. 6),and/or executing any other set of instructions. The function may beincluded in the functional information retrieved, directly orindirectly, from the back housing. If a functional element is notidentified (e.g., “no”), the method 900 continues directly to step 916.

Step 916 includes determining whether a user input related to the backhousing has been received. The user input received at step 916 canrelate to, for example, modification of the digital wallpaper that isdisplayed in associated with the back housing and/or modification of thefunction that is performed in association with the back housing. If auser input has been received (e.g., “yes”), the method 900 continues tostep 918, which includes modifying the digital wallpaper and/or thefunction associated with the back housing based on the user input.

For example, the user input received in step 916 can include a selectionto cancel the new digital wallpaper. In one example embodiment, for apredetermined time (e.g., five seconds, ten seconds, 15 seconds, etc.)after a new digital wallpaper is displayed, the user has the option ofcanceling, or selecting to opt-out of, the new digital wallpaper. If theuser selects the cancel option, the new digital wallpaper may be removedfrom display and a previously displayed digital wallpaper may bedisplayed instead. According to one aspect, manual removal of thedigital wallpaper associated with the back housing can cause automatictermination of the functions that are being performed in connection withthe back housing. In one embodiment, the user may be provided with anoption to keep the function active after removing the digital wallpaperthat is associated with the back housing. As another example, the userinput received in step 916 can include a selection to modify or edit thedigital wallpaper after it is displayed. The user may want to change,for example, the size, proportions, colors, brightness, sharpness, orany other setting of the image being displayed as the digital wallpaper.In some embodiments, the user input received at step 916 can modify oneor more of the predefined graphic settings that were applied in step908.

As another example, the user input received at the step 916 can includea selection to modify one or more settings of the software applicationand/or preset profile that was launched upon attachment of the backhousing. For example, referring back to FIG. 5, the user may adjust thesettings of the health monitoring software application so that theapplication is running in the background, rather than the foreground. Insome embodiments, the user input received at step 916 can include aselection to close the software application that was launched uponattachment of the back housing. For example, referring back to FIG. 6,after the user is done listening to music, the user may choose to closethe audio player application, even though the back housing 604 is stillattached to the mobile computing device 600. According to one aspect,manual termination of a function associated with the back housing cancause automatic removal of the digital wallpaper that is being displayedin connection with the back housing. In one embodiment, the user may beprovided with an option to keep the digital wallpaper intact afterterminating the function.

After the modification in step 918, or if a user input is not receivedat step 916 (e.g., “no”), the method 900 can continue to step 920, whichincludes determining whether detachment of the back housing has beendetected. If detachment of the back housing has been detected (e.g.,“yes”), at step 922 display of the digital wallpaper associated with theback housing may cease, and any function that is being performed inassociation with the back housing may also be terminated. In someembodiments, the user can be presented with an option to retain thedigital wallpaper even though the associated back housing has beendetached. For example, the option to retain the digital wallpaper may bedisplayed for a predetermined amount of time (e.g., five seconds, tenseconds, fifteen seconds, etc.). From step 922, the method 900 can loopback to step 902 and wait for attachment of a back housing.

If detachment is not detected (e.g., “no”) at step 920, the method 900can loop back to step 916. As will be appreciated, as long as a userinput related to the back housing is not received and detachment of theback housing is not detected, the method 900 can continue to loopbetween steps 916 and 920, the digital wallpaper that is associated withthe back housing can continue to be displayed, and the functionassociated with the back housing can continue to be performed.

Thus, it should be clear from the preceding disclosure that the methodsand systems described herein provide for automatic correlation between adigital wallpaper displayed on an electronic device and the aestheticdesign of a back housing component that is attached to the electronicdevice. Further, according to some aspects, the methods and systemdescribed herein provide for automatic performance of one or morefunctions upon detecting attachment of the back housing to theelectronic device, the function being related to a built-infunctionality of the back housing.

This disclosure is intended to explain how to fashion and use variousembodiments in accordance with the technology rather than to limit thetrue, intended, and fair scope and spirit thereof. The foregoingdescription is not intended to be exhaustive or to be limited to theprecise forms disclosed. Modifications or variations are possible inlight of the above teachings. The embodiment(s) were chosen anddescribed to provide the best illustration of the principle of thedescribed technology and its practical application, and to enable one ofordinary skill in the art to utilize the technology in variousembodiments and with various modifications as are suited to theparticular use contemplated. All such modifications and variations arewithin the scope of the embodiments as determined by the appendedclaims, as may be amended during the pendency of this application forpatent, and all equivalents thereof, when interpreted in accordance withthe breadth to which they are fairly, legally and equitably entitled.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method in an electronic device forautomatically obtaining a digital wallpaper, the method comprising:detecting attachment of a back housing to a front housing of theelectronic device; retrieving information from the back housing;examining the retrieved information to identify an aesthetic element ofthe back housing; and displaying a graphical representation of theaesthetic element as a digital wallpaper of the electronic device. 2.The method of claim 1, further comprising: generating the graphicalrepresentation of the aesthetic element according to one or morepredefined graphic settings.
 3. The method of claim 2, wherein thepredefined graphic settings include creating a mirror image of arepresentation of the aesthetic element of the back housing.
 4. Themethod of claim 2, wherein the predefined graphic settings includecreating an inverted image of a representation of the aesthetic elementof the back housing.
 5. The method of claim 2, further comprising:receiving a user input related to the digital wallpaper; and modifyingthe digital wallpaper based on the user input.
 6. The method of claim 1,further comprising: upon detecting detachment of the back housing fromthe front housing, ceasing display of the graphical representation asthe digital wallpaper of the electronic device.
 7. The method of claim1, further comprising: examining the retrieved information to identify afunctional element of the back housing; and performing a function basedon the functional element of the back housing.
 8. The method of claim 7,wherein the performing a function includes executing a predefinedsoftware application on the electronic device.
 9. The method of claim 7,wherein the performing a function includes changing one or morepredefined settings of a software application being executed by theelectronic device.
 10. The method of claim 7, further comprising: upondetecting detachment of the back housing from the front housing, ceasingperformance of the function.
 11. An electronic device configured toautomatically obtain a digital wallpaper, the electronic devicecomprising: a back housing releasably engaged to a front housing andhaving an information component; a display disposed at least partiallywithin the front housing and configured to display a digital wallpaper;a sensor disposed within the front housing and configured to detectattachment of the back housing to the front housing, the sensortransmitting an output signal upon detecting the attachment of the backhousing; and a processor disposed within the front housing and incommunication with the display, the sensor, and the informationcomponent of the back housing, the processor being configured to:receive the output signal transmitted by the sensor; retrieve data aboutthe back housing from the information component of the back housing;examine the retrieved data to identify an aesthetic component of theback housing; and cause the display to display a graphicalrepresentation of the aesthetic component as a digital wallpaper of theelectronic device.
 12. The electronic device of claim 11, wherein: theback housing further comprises a functional component; and the processoris further configured to: examine the retrieved data to identify thefunctional component of the back housing, and perform a function basedon the functional component.
 13. The electronic device of claim 11,further comprising: a communication module disposed at least partiallywithin the front housing and including a short-range communicationmodule configured to support the sensor.
 14. The electronic device ofclaim 13, wherein the information component is a memory that stores dataabout the back housing, and the communication module includes at leastone of a Bluetooth transceiver or an NFC transceiver.
 15. The electronicdevice of claim 13, wherein the information component is anidentification tag that includes an identifier assigned to the backhousing, and the processor uses the identifier to retrieve, from adatabase, information about the back housing.
 16. The electronic deviceof claim 15, wherein the identification tag is a Radio FrequencyIdentification (RFID) tag, and the communication module includes an RFIDreader.
 17. The electronic device of claim 15, wherein theidentification tag is a Near Field Communication (NFC) tag, and thecommunication module includes an NFC transceiver.
 18. The electronicdevice of claim 15, wherein the database includes informationidentifying the aesthetic component of the back housing and/orinformation identifying a functional component of the back housing. 19.The electronic device of claim 15, wherein the database is stored on aremote computer, and the communication module further comprises along-range communication module configured to enable communicationbetween the processor and the remote computer.
 20. The electronic deviceof claim 11, wherein the sensor is a proximity sensor.
 21. Theelectronic device of claim 20, wherein the sensor is a Hall-effectsensor.
 22. The electronic device of claim 11, wherein the displayincludes a user interface configured to receive a user input related tothe digital wallpaper, and the processor is further configured to modifythe digital wallpaper based on the received user inputs.